Winter 2011 Issue 35 Featured Articles A Multicultural Perspective: Why It’s Important for Parishes That Are You Need To Be There: The Culturally Homogeneous 25thAnnual African American By Mrs. M. Annette Mandley-Turner, Executive Director Catholic Leadership Awards Banquet Our church is called to be a wel- coming community to all people. Family Life Skills Initiatives Within the mission of our archdio- cese, it states that “We are the Stewardship...a Way of Living Catholic Church in central KY., a community of believers rich in our Beyond Diversity tradition and growing in our diver- Celebrating Diversity: sity, striving for fullness of life in The Crocodile and the Hen God.” Welcoming the diversity in our midst is a priority of our arch- Effective Tools for Ministering diocese. The Office of Multicul- in Diversity tural Ministry (OMM) and the De- partment of Evangelization are The Virgin of Guadalupe M. Annette Mandley-Turner charged with the task of imple- Just as all races, ethnicities and menting initiatives related to wel- Faith Engaged: A Reflection on a coming diversity. OMM recog- Spirit-Filled Day cultures in the world are repre- nizes its role as an advocate of sented in the population of the Heroes of Hope United States, so too do they find multiculturalism and supports par- a home within the Catholic ishes in their efforts to respond to Las Posadas Church. Each group brings its own the needs of their diverse commu- language, history, customs, rituals nity; raising the awareness of the Working Together to Make and traditions “for building up the diversity in their midst. Even in a a Difference body of Christ” (Eph 4:12). Since parish that appears to be culturally persons can only achieve their full homogeneous, one can benefit Community Meet & Greet humanity by means of culture, the from a multicultural perspective in Catholic Church in the United the sense that the faith community Community Partnerships should have opportunities to be States embraces the rich cultural informed and experience the gift Asian Pacific American pluralism of all the faithful, en- Heritage Month courages the distinctive identity of of diversity. Their formation will each cultural group, and urges mu- assist them in respecting their sis- Vietnamese Lunar New Year tual enrichment. At the same time, ters and brothers from other cul- the Catholic Church promotes tural, racial and ethnic groups. In a Kwanzaa...A Celebration of unity of faith within the multicul- real way, their lives are enhanced Family, Community and Culture tural diversity of the people. due to the newly acquired knowl- (NDC 11C1) edge. Archdiocese of Louisville Office of Multicultural Ministry 25th ANNUAL AFRICAN AMERICAN CATHOLIC LEADERSHIP AWARDS BANQUET SILVER ANNIVERSARY Keynote speaker The most reverend wilton d. Gregory, S.L.D. Archbishop archdiocese of Atlanta Saturday, March 3, 2012 6:00 P.M. Silent Auction 5:00 P.M. Tickets: $45.00 Louisville Marriott Downtown 280 West Jefferson Street Louisville, KY Book a room for the night at $139.00 and $20.00 will be donated to the banquet scholarship fund. To make reservations, call 1-800-266-9432 by February 4, 2012. For more information call (502)471-2146 2 25th Annual African American Catholic Leadership Awards Banquet By Mrs. Patricia Spaulding, OMM Executive Secretary The Archdiocese of Louisville’s African American Catholic Ministries in the Office of Multicultural Ministry announces the presentation of our 25th Annual African American Catholic Leadership Awards Banquet. This is the banquet’s Silver Anniver- sary. The event is being hosted at the Louisville Marriott Downtown located at 280 West Jefferson Street, Louisville, KY on Saturday, March 3, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. with the Silent Auction beginning at 5:00 p.m. The purpose of this banquet is to recognize African American Catholic Leadership within our archdiocese. Funds raised for this event are given in the form of scholarships to assist African American Catholic youth in continuing their education. The youth awards will be given in honor if Rodriq McCravy. Rodriq was African American and a parishioner at Christ the King. He died in October of 1987. Rodriq shared his faith and beliefs exemplifying values that can serve as an example for all our young people. African American adults who have made a significant contribution to the community in the Archdiocese of Louisville will also be recognized. The Genevieve Boone Award and Acacia Award will also be presented. In an effort to ensure seating, ticket re- quests should be made ASAP. The order form below can be used to secure tickets. Seating is limited therefore a quick response is encouraged. Please join us, along with Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D., our Keynote Speaker Archbishop Wilton D. Greg- ory, S.L.D. from the Archdiocese of Atlanta and a host of dignitaries and friends. For nomination details, contact the Office of Multicultural. Ministry. The deadline is January 9, 2012. DONATION: $45.00 I will need _______ tickets. (Tables of eight (8) are available upon request.) I will be unable to attend, but am enclosing a donation of $__________. NAME __________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS _______________________________________________________________________________ Make checks payable to: Office of Multicultural Ministry·1200 South Shelby Street·Louisville, KY 40203-2600 “You Need To Be There”...The 25th Annual African American Catholic Leadership Awards Banquet By Mr. Bob Frazier, 25th Anniversary Banquet Co-Chair This event is an implementation of the Archdiocesan Strategic Plan along with the National Black Catholic Pastoral Plan which was adopted by all of the diocese and archdiocese in the United States. The Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Multicultural Ministry Annual African American Catholic Leadership Awards Banquet is the longest running and largest annual banquet in the Archdiocese of Louisville and the 25th Anniversary will take place on Saturday, March 3, 2012 at The Louisville Marriott Downtown…. “YOU NEED TO BE THERE”. The Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Multicultural Ministry Annual African American Catholic Leadership Awards Ban- quet was established 24 years ago out of the vision of pioneers, in order to recognize and honor leaders in and of the Catholic faith within in the African American community. This was through the vision of Mrs. M. Annette Mandley-Turner, Deacon James Turner and the relentless support of Archbishop Kelly along with the support of many others of lay ministry. Each year this award is given to youth to assist them with attending a Catholic high school, technical school or college…. “YOU NEED TO BE THERE”. Save The Date; Reserve Your Space; Make Plans Now; Be A Part Of; Confirm Your Ticket; Join The Celebration; Be A Part Of History; Don’t Miss Out; Salute Our Leaders; and Support Our Future..The Youth!! All this has been said to offer everyone the great opportunity to celebrate in the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Multicultural Ministry 25th Anniversary of the African American Catholic Leadership Awards Banquet….“YOU NEED TO BE THERE”. 3 Family Life Skills Initiatives: Strengthening Our Communities Through the Family By Mr. Christopher Burt, Family Life Skills Coordinator The Family Focus/Family Life Skills Program is off to a roaring start. To date more than thirty families have gone through or are currently in the process of being served through our program. We all appreciate the importance of investing our positive energy into the development of family within our communities. In our efforts to make the community a better place for all, the education of our family is paramount. The “Family Focus/Family Life Skills Program” was inspired by the need to educate families with skills to enable them to become the best they can be. This program, a col- laborative vision of the St. Jude Foundation and the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Multicultural Ministry (OMM), is a part of the Archdiocesan Strategic Plan. It is taught over 8-12 weeks at the Catholic Enrichment Center (CEC), in 60-90 minute ses- sions with engaging and informative activities designed to give participants a newfound sense of empowerment once completed. Highlights of the program include: Communication Skills Effective Parenting Skills Counseling Finance 4 U Health and Wellness Cultural Enrichment A number of community partners, professionals and Archdiocesan Staff are committed to providing participants in the program with a learning environment that allows them to “receive” and “take” it, meaning they are encouraged to “receive” all the infor- mation they’re taught and to “take” it home and apply it immediately! According to one instructor, “Just the simple act of effort, can create a monumental change in one’s life”. Community partners like the Metro Louisville Community Action Partnership (Metro Louisville CAP), offer incentives to the participants in their “Finance 4 U” sessions that adhere to a few simple guidelines after completing the program. These incen- tives range from Emergency Financial to Transportation Assistance, according to Joi Boyd with Metro Louisville CAP who teaches the “Finance 4 U “sessions. Boyd states that “We have chosen to hold the Finance 4 U sessions here at the Catholic En- richment Center during the day and evening to accommodate the scheduling needs of the community and because we believe in supporting the great work that local groups like the CEC are doing for families in our area.” Strategic partnerships like those formed with the Metro Louisville CAP, West Louisville Community Ministries and the Metro Louisville Department of Public Health & Wellness are crucial, for they enable us to reach out and minister to the real needs of families. These needs are based on an individualized assessment that each participant completes upon entry into the Family Life Skills Program. Each participant is asked a series of questions on various topics related to their family/home life such as Communication, Fi- nance, Income, Parenting and Health.